Inflatable garment



K. MICHALOVSKY.

INFLATABLE GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. 1919.

a'nvmtoz Patented June 1, 1920.

UNITED STATES FFIQE.

' KAPITON MIGHALoVsKY, OF AKnoN," OHIO. I

. INFLATABLE Gnitiuniv r; j l I Specification of Letters earn. PatentedJune-1,1920.

i Application filed June 18, 1919'.. Seria1'-'1\To.-.2 305 198 9 To allwhom it may concern: 7

' Be it known that I, KAriroN MIOHALOV- SKY, a citizen of Poland,residing at 143 Summit street, Akron, county of Summit, and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in InflatableGarments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the provision of an inflatable garmentwhich may be worn with comfort underneath the ordinary wearing appareland inflated at will in such manner as to prevent danger of a personsdrowning should he become inadvertcntly immersed in the water.

A further object is to provide a garment having a plurality ofcompartments each independently inflatable or deflatable by the wearerat any desired degree.

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction andcombination of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a material part of this disclosure, and in whichFigure 1 is a front'plan view showing an inflatable garment made inaccordance with the invention and indicating its application.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse fragmentary view taken on line 2-2 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the inflating device valve.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the lower portion of the garment isformed of two separate elements indicated by the numerals 10, and 10',and the upper portion is also formed in two separate elements, re-

sper-tively 11 and 11', each of the elements being air and water proofand joined along the side edges by metallic strips 12, similar strips 13passing over the shoulder, while a belt 14 connects the upper and lowerportions of the garment along the waist line, so that the severalsections of the garment may be applied or removed in a convenientmanner.

The connecting belt 14 is provided with extending fork edges 15 and 15,while the mating portion 16 has similar forks 17 and 17, the elements 14and 16 overlapping and being held in intimate connection by rivets 18covered by rubber caps 19 and 20, respectively inner and outer.

The seam at the front extends longitudinally the full length of thegarment and is formed by a similar strip 21, having forks 23 and 23',the strip 22 having like elements 24 and 24. Upon the outer side of theelement 21 are stiff spring clips 25, having reentrantly bowed ends 26,ending in finger clips 27, in which are set pins 28 adapted to passthrough openings formed with the element 22, the spring device holdingthe strips in close engagement.

In order to inflate the several sections, a plurality of tubes 30 and 31extend respectively into the compartments at the front and rear, andupper and lower sections, and engaged at their upper ends are valveheads 33 in which is positioned a plate 34, hingedly mounted on the pin35 and pressed normally upward by a coiled compression spring 36 seatedin the cross bar 37, formed in the head 33, in the extreme outer end ofwhich is an opening 38. V

This head is adapted to be received in the mouth of the user who,applying the lips to the head, and blowing into the openlng 38,depresses the plate 34 and causes a current of air to pass through thetubes into their respective compartment.

In order to deflate the apparatus, there is secured at the lower cornersof each compartment, a nipple 40, having an inner flanged head 41, heldin position by a rubber plate 42, the nipple being hollow and internallythreaded to receive a plug 43, formed with a valve seat'against which ispressed a sphere 44, by the coiled spring 45, a passage 46 extendingthrough the bottom of the plug, registering with a similar passage 47,extending through the plug 43, into which enters a stem 48, formed withthe sphere 44, the nipple beingexteriorly screwthreaded and adaptedtoreceive a screw cap 49, which prevents the air from being expelled. V

Upon the removal of the screw cap the stem 48 may be depressed so thatair may flow out through the openings 46 and 47 in,

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In a garment closure of the charactef'de- 5 scribed, the combination ofa seam strip for the closure of the garment at the front With,

a forked closure strip, forks on said seam strip, stiff spring clipsupon the outer side of said seam strip having rectangularly bowed ends,finger clips on said ends, set 10 pins in said clips adapted to passthrough the closure strip for holding both strips in close engagement.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my;

signature.

KAPITON MICHALOVS-KY; p

